Train Pow-Wow

Betcha didn't know that trains engines have meetings...

Favorite Tire Swing... Again

We've been to this tire swing many times before, it's our favorite.  We even took our cousins last summer.   This was the first time that Z actually got to swing, and let's just say he loved it.  

It is so handy that I now have a daughter who can snap photos!

S enjoying some quiet swinging.

Leaves of 3, leave them be.
The only drawback to our tire swing:  
the area has tons of poison oak that we always have to watch out for.  

Isn't picnik amazing?  I'm new to it, but boy is it fun!

Our 3 little hikers.

J swinging while Z almost gets hit.

Z holding on for dear life.

My Day*

I've seen a few fun blog posts recently that lay out a typical day.  Here's my submission...

Way too Early

Jeff gets up, heads to work.  He works a looooong hard day for us.  Every. (Week)Day.  We're so thankful for him!

I wake up, get dressed in workout clothes.  Z loves this blanket, it's his fav.

Get kids up, dressed, make beds and brush S's hair.  Breakfast (usually Cheerios with sprinkling of granola w/ whole milk for the kids) and prep a snack for later.

Load up the car (make sure everyone has shoes on), drive to YMCA (bonus: we saw the Sprinter light rail cross on our route today)

SPRINTER!!!
Don't look too close, we have a huge crack in our windshield.  Gotta love those Colorado snow storms and gravel trucks.  We're saving up to get it replaced, hopefully soon.

Check the kids into Childwatch for my 80-minute daily allotment.  S has her homeschool gym and swim lesson once a week.  I stretch, do back exercises and run my 5k.  Shower and get dressed.

Pick up kids, back in the car, bust out the snack (usually apple slices and pretzels, and of course a full sippy cup of milk for Z, which he inhales) as we drive home.

Back home again.  Playtime for the kids while I prep lunch.  

Noontime: Lunch (often dinosaur chicken nuggets with fruit and homemade chocolate milk).  Clean up kitchen.

S and J make camouflaged fish for our unit on Oceans.

My amazing balance!

After Lunch: Z goes down for nap.  Homeschool with S and J begins!  We read books together.  Today we needed a balance for our math lesson so I went out to the garage and found a dowel, zip ties, staple gun and binder clips and ta-da... homemade balance!  

(Note:  I tell Jeff I can make or fix anything with some duct tape and a few zip ties.  He asks me "Then why didn't you build the bunk bed?"  I said because we wanted it to last for more than 20 minutes.)

(Apparently, I ran out of steam and stopped taking photos, oh well!)

Mid-Afternoon: S and J have quiet time in their rooms.  J usually takes a nap, but he's getting very close to not needing one anymore.  I get to check email, catch up on Reader (woo hoo), do some laundry and start thinking about what's for dinner.

Wake up from nap time.  Watch some cartoons on the couch.  After 10 minutes of TV, we take a break and clean up the family room so it's nice and tidy for when Daddy gets home.  If the kids get this done, then they can watch a little more TV.  

Daddy comes home!!!  Everybody celebrate!  Dinner (Poppyseed chicken w/ broccoli), then kids are excused to load dishes and wash up (always have "inspections" of how well they washed their hands and face).  Jeff and I have our wonderful peaceful incredible "table time", kids aren't allowed in the kitchen, and we get to catch up with each other (ahhhhhhhhh).  Every once in a while we have dessert:  Moose Tracks ice cream!

Kitchen clean-up and family play time.

PJs, brush teeth, read a book (well, many of them).  Jeff's currently reading Narnia to the kids.  I don't know who's enjoying it more:  Jeff or the kids.  Z's current fav is Goodnight Moon and Polar Bear, Polar Bear.  The kids also love Richard Scaary books.

Bedtime.  We sleep really well.  All of us.  Every. Night.  God is so good.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Yes, there will be variations.  Guaranteed.

*Subject to change without prior notification.

What does your typical day look like?

Extra Sleep

Z, S and J (top bunk) stay in their beds every morning until we release them. They don't know any other way (and that's a good thing).  Z really doesn't have a choice (yet).

One thing we've implemented in our home is the "you're not allowed to get out of your bed in the morning until one of the parents comes into your room" rule.  

All 3 of our kids sleep in the same room at night, so it's tremendous fun to hear them fall asleep and wake up, talking or reading.  In the morning, they start their conversations, gently waking each other up.  Jeff and I love being able to leisurely wake up (on the weekends at least).  We don't worry about being trounced by 3 kids.  Sure, we still have bed snuggle time together, but it's after one of us goes to "release" the kids.  

On weekends, we've told the kids if they see a cup with cheerios at their door and it's after 7am, then it's okay to go out of their room and watch some cartoons (while Jeff and I catch some extra zzz's).  But they don't do this unless we clearly lay it out for them and discuss it the night before.  

Also,

• We don't put our kids to bed too early or wait too long to get them up.  This is key.  Being a prisoner in your bedroom is no fun.
• Kids can get out of bed to use the bathroom or get books.
• We make sure they have (lots of) books.

If you have any other tips for getting extra sleep in the AM with kids, let me know.

Mentoring

I am a product of mentoring.  In college, Marisa Joulfaian mentored me and we had such a great time memorizing Romans 6, among other things.  I also consider Ceslie Patty a college mentor of mine, though we never set up anything formal.  In my early career working days, Carol Grieb took me under her wing and truly shared her heart and family. 

All 3 of these wise women blessed me to no end.  What I continue to be amazed about is that in all these stages of my life, I was most likely going to be a "temporary relationship." But these women took the risk, made the effort to get to know me, and welcomed me into their families anyway.  Happily, I still keep in touch with all 3 of these women and they continue to bless me with their friendship. 

By God’s grace, I now get to pay it forward.  I’ve been mentoring a younger gal from church for the last few months, and we have had such a great time getting to know each other!  God truly paired us up.  Kim is 10 years younger than me.  We take neighborhood walks every other week, and Z usually tags along in the stroller.   

Being on the mentor side (vs. the mentee) now, I see that there isn’t really that much difference between the two titles.  Yes, I’m older by a few years, but I still have plenty to learn.  We should all desire to be held accountable to each other and ultimately to God, all our lives.  I hope that even when I’m 96 years old I will continue to be learning new things about our Lord!

Honestly, Kim and I would probably have never met were it not for this mentoring program.  She goes to the Sunday morning service and we go to Saturday night service.  Our paths would not have crossed naturally.  But I’m so thankful for my friendship with Kim, she puts a fresh perspective on life topics, we both love sailing, and I’m so encouraged in her love for the Lord and her perseverance to be in God’s will. 

Kim and I were asked to share with our church’s Mentoring Group our testimonies about how mentoring has affected our lives.  Here were some of my thoughts: 

Mentoring…

• Helps take you out of your own little world and helps you see the needs and desires of others.
  
• Helps you to be a better person by being accountable to each other and to God.  Being vulnerable with other believers helps us stay on track in our walks with Christ.
  
• Helps you realize you are not alone in your struggles.  Plus you get to rejoice together as well!
  
• Keeps us in God’s word and in a love relationship with Him!
  

If you’ve never been in a mentoring relationship before, I highly recommend it.  Mentor or mentee, the relationship will help you stay sharp and focused on the important things in life.   

Kim and me.

Carlsbad Marathon

We volunteered at the Carlsbad (full and half) Marathon this morning.  We were at the Mile 10 aid station stomping and picking up water cups.  It was cool today, perfect for running.  We brought our tambourines and clappers to make some noise and encourage the runners and walkers.  It was great inspiration for me for my upcoming run in May!

After the race, we headed to the mall for some fun in the soft play area.  We had already had a packed day, and it was only 9:46am!

Lime Tree

We moved a lime tree from our back yard to our front yard today, where it will have more sun.  This photo makes it look like S and I are doing all the work, but Jeff is really the one who "made it happen."

Oz

We recently introduced the kids to the Wizard of Oz movie... then we conveniently found these life-sized cutouts at the YMCA as part of their annual fund raising campaign.  (Sorry about the glare.)

San Marcos City Hall Fountain

Freshmen Basketball

Jeff took us to watch a freshmen boys basketball game Friday night.  Totally takes me back.  Very cool.

I Like Bananas

This is one of our favorite songs.  I play it for our AWANA Cubbies group all the time, and they love it.  Kids tend to become uncontrollably goofy when we sing it.  Go figure.

Swami's Beach

5 surfers on the left, then Jeff, Z and J.

Swimsuit time at "Train Park" in Encinitas, one of our favorite parks.

We've had some amazing weather recently.  We headed to Swami's Beach last weekend for some time near the waves.  There are always tons of surfers.  

It's now raining (which isn't bad), a nice change.  S had the stomach bug this week, so we've been laying pretty low.  She's much better now.  Have a great weekend!

Grandmom's Visit

Beautiful Bunks

The long wait ended last night with the devoted Mr. Garland's set-up of the kids' new bunk beds!  They are truly awesome.  You can easily sit on the lower bunk, and they are s.t.u.r.d.y.!  Jeff did such a great job with the design.  Today was the first day the kids ever wanted to just go their rooms and "just play" on their beds!  And an added bonus:  I get to park my car in the garage again!  Ahhhh.  Way to go Honey!

Assembly:  Z always waiting, wanting and willing to "help."

Bunks at night before bed.

Daytime playtime:  It's like a new play structure!

Fresh-Squeezed

Statues

Betcha can't guess which US patriotic symbol we're studying in the Garland Homeschool right now...

Antique Gas and Steam Museum

Marked another one of our "things to do/see" off our list this weekend.  

We visited Vista's Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, just 10 minutes (if that) from our home.  I think we were the only visitors.  Literally.  It was awesome.  The devoted Mr. Garland called it "a great collection of out-of-date machinery."  We packed a lunch and enjoyed the morning walking along side dilapidated lawn mowers, trucks, tractors, generators, and engines.

Don't worry, Z isn't going anywhere anytime fast in this ole' truck.

We think this was a sheep's treadmill.

This playground was the perfect spot for our picnic lunch break.